The Perfect Circle
by Tesserakt
Summary: Based on the PnP RPG & Comic Exalted. A tale of epic proportions, a story of heroes and villains, love and betrayal, destiny... and one sexually confused sorcerer. Don't try and take it too seriously...
1. Tobiko Tanake

The girl leans on the massive tree trunk, trying to regain her breath. Her hair is a mess and she's covered with blood and dirt, but even so, she manages to look better than most goddesses of love and beauty in full attire. Of course, wearing a dress that was just borderline decent before it was considerably ripped only helps. She curses various people with esoteric names and their extended family, wipes tears from her eyes and turns to look at the approaching giant. He was a behemoth of a man, more than two meters long and, seemingly, almost as much wide. Of course, the girl thought, he would look much better if he was wearing something that didn't look like it belonged attached to an animal; but it was a widely acknowledged fact that barbarian heroes had no style.

'Okay,' the hulk boomed, 'that wasn't too bad. Now it's time for the next trial.'

The girl groaned. 'Another one? Are you trying to kill me here?'

'It is necessary,' he said sternly, 'only thus can it be seen what caste you are destined to become. And anyway, it's a sacred ritual to Luna, you should be happy about it!'

'Awww… Redclaw,' she insisted, whining with a sweet little voice, 'Do I really have to? I'm already a mess as it is...'

Redclaw hesitated a moment, but nevertheless, said, 'I'm afraid so, Tobiko, there's just no way around it. Anyway, it's a question of your honour!'

'Couldn't we at least leave it for tomorrow?' she pleaded, hands behind her back, standing on the tips of her toes to try and draw somewhat level with the other, 'I'm tired… Isn't there space for a little bit of kindness towards a poor little tired girl in that massive muscled honourable form of yours?'

The great barbarian hero, scourge of civilization, ravager of kingdoms big and small, he who left barren the land his horde walked over, looked down at the young girl with damp eyes and shuffled his feet.

'I dunno, Tobiko… I could get in awful trouble if the other elders found out…'

She pouted. Nobody ever resisted the pout.

Meanwhile, two owls watched silently as the scene unfolded. Then, one turned its head around to the other and, as one always says to another, hooted: 'Hey, Silverbeak, would this be considered "passing the trials through cunning or guile"?'

The other owl turns equally towards its companion and answers: 'I suppose, although I'm sure it's never happened before.'

'Hmm…' the first owl mused, 'I wonder why Luna chose someone like her.'

'Dunno, maybe 'cause she's just so damn HOT.'

The first owl looked disapprovingly at the second one, or at least as much as an owl can look disapproving. "Silverbeak! Really…"

And when the two owls looked back, the girl was gone.


	2. Not Invited to the Best Parties

Zaon proudly walked up to the towering building that contains the Loom of Fate. Since his exaltation twenty years he has tirelessly trained in the arts of the sword, and the special martial arts that involved it. Of the Exalted of his generation, he was the one that knew best how to end a life. He had not once failed a mission for the Violet Bier of Sorrows. Whenever there was a petty ruler that needed his reign ended, a Dragon-blooded scion whose time had regrettably come to pass, or simply anyone or anything else that needed urgent termination for the good of destiny, he was the first one that they would call. The fact that he takes immense pride in this just goes to show what the Celestial Bureaucracy can do to someone's mind.

Today, however, it was not going to be just another routine assassination for Creation's sake. Oh no, today he was onto the big thing. This was his break into the ranks of the people that sent people like him on missions. Today, he was going to be assigned to a Major Special Destiny of Utmost Importance and Urgency. With capital letters all the way, too. Even if it _was_ for the Gold Faction, which didn't, exactly, get invited to the best parties.

He passed the celestial lions on the entrance and paraded into the halls of the Loom, taking the right turns towards the office of Ayesha Ura, although carefully letting everyone he knew, and lots he didn't, see exactly where he was going and who he was going to see. Right before he was threatening to collapse under the weight of his own ego, he found himself in front of the gold-covered door to the faction's leader's office. Of course, it was the way of the Sidereals to do things in exactly the right moment.

He let himself in, and found himself looking at the smiling face of one of the most powerful and influential beings in Creation. In fact, he had always thought she'd be taller.

'Ah, Zaon,' she said, 'I'm so glad we have you for this mission. I am afraid many things shall need a… proper ending. Not least of them being… the Age of the Dragon-Blooded.'

Wow, that was kind of a big order. Was he supposed to bring down the Realm? Wouldn't that piss off Chejop Kejak something awful? He didn't really wanted to have _him _on his case. Oh, and that's not mentioning the complications of actually doing the Realm-destroying thing. He was starting to wish for a nice little satrap to kill, instead.

'Eh…' he hesitated, 'and… I'm going to be doing this alone.'

'Oh, of course not!' Ayesha chuckled, he felt relieved, 'Meerah here will go with you.'

'Huh?' he looked around him, and found no sign of anyone else in the room, 'uhm… who?'

'Me,' a woman's voice beside him said. He jumped, back, startled. There was a young woman standing there, looking at him with an empty expression in her green eyes. She was completely still, completely calm, as if…

'Were you there all the time?'

She smiled, slightly, although it wasn't a very warming smile.

'Of course.'


	3. A Motley Crew

He was a warrior, a hero. Raised proudly from the barbarian peoples, granted the knowledge of generations, exalting as one of Luna's Chosen, passing the trials with flying colours, earning for himself the name of Fearless Claw, he was the bringer of the rightful downfall of civilization everywhere!

He was a seagull. It was mightily embarrassing. Nevertheless, he realized that, for the proper downfall of civilization, he must reach it's core undetected, and seagulls were really inconspicuous on ships. He let out a characteristic seagull-screech for good measure, and landed on the ship just as the last passengers were walking onto it. With nothing better to do for the moment, he simply watched the people going past.

One eighteen-year old girl in what seemed to have been quite expensive clothes before they were, it seems, forcefully redesigned. Or maybe it was all the rage in the Realm these days, he could never really tell. Everyone was staring at her, and with good reason. He found his gaze wandering off with her until he got a hold of himself and looked at the next person.

Another relatively young girl, although this one was much less impressive, in simple clothes and keeping her head down. She looked awfully depressed about something, though, poor thing.

And another… what was going on in this boat? A girls-only school's graduation party or something? No, wait this one wasn't a girl, he just thought so because he had a really delicate sort of face, must be one of those posh and refined patricians. He… or was it she? Could certainly be a girl, albeit a sort of flat-chested one, except… by Luna, this was confusing! Whatever it was, it carried a staff of little interest and no special expression, and he was going to stop trying to figure out its gender.

Then came these two people, one man and one woman. They looked sort of suspicious, although he could not point out exactly why. He stopped to think about that, but realized he couldn't remember what they looked like very well. That was odd, they certainly… no, wait, had they?


End file.
